Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market Facing Opposition

You may have read about the new farmer’s market on Mount Vernon Square, but many of us in the neighborhood also frequent the Penn Quarter Farmers Market on 8th between D and E. I often stop by on Thursday afternoons for a loaf of Quail Creek Farms‘ delicious (albeit expensive) brioche, to pick up fresh fruits and veggies, or just to taste some refreshing gazpacho.

The market takes up one block of 8th Street NW, which Downtown Neighborhood Association President (DNA) Miles Groves describes as:

usually quiet with a use that seems dominated by on-street parking and parking garages from the surrounding mixed-use buildings. It is an abbreviated street that is interrupted by the museums, pedestrian malls, the Carnegie Library and the Convention Center. For many, in a city that seems dominated by automobiles trying to get in and out of our neighborhood, this use is a nice pedestrian respite.

In a bustling downtown inevitably some drivers will be inconvenienced by a street closing. One would hope that everyone would try to embrace something like a farmer’s market, which brings together people from across the downtown area to help support local farmers and businesses. Unfortunately, some choose to complain loudly, and one individual is attempting to close the market down under claims it extends his commute by 15 minutes once a week.

The DNA’s Downtown Commentary blog offers more context on this issue with their posting Penn Quarter Jewel at Risk authored by Miles Groves.

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Thais Austin has lived in the Mount Vernon Triangle since 2006 with her dog Davis. She is an active community volunteer with the Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association, Mount Vernon Triangle CID, and with the DC Association of REALTORS. She brings to the blog a background in journalism, urban planning, and real estate and development. She is a REALTOR with Long and Foster, officing out of both Logan Circle and Bethesda Gateway locations and can be contacted at thais@lnf.com.